


Long Live Lester

by Captainmintyfresh



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Full Shift Werewolves, M/M, POV Alternating, Theo Raeken Needs a Hug, Worried Liam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-21
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2019-01-01 05:13:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12149352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captainmintyfresh/pseuds/Captainmintyfresh
Summary: for the prompt - Theo is in his full wolf/coyote form idk and he’s just been chilling in the woods for awhile and Liam gets worried and ends up finding him like hanging around one day on a run and gets him to shift back and explain his absence.Which is also known as the - Theo has an existential crisis and lives as a wolf while befriending old ladies and Corgi's while Liam worries himself sick Fic.





	Long Live Lester

It wasn't that Theo didn't like being a human but..being a homeless human was a lot more difficult than being a homeless wolf. He tried the homeless human thing. Really, only for about two weeks but that had been enough. He just..didn't have the money to be a homeless human, not that any homeless person does, but most homeless people could beg, Theo couldn't. Sure, a lot of that was his pride but the best places to loiter and ask for money were around the high school or the centre of town and he wasn't about to go to his old school and ask people for money, Nor was he going to sit in town and do the same, not when the McCall pack would be wandering around or deputies who'd seen him locked in a prison cell a few months prior.

Without money he couldn't get food, or wash his clothes, hell, he could barely wash himself beyond sneaking into the school after hours to use the showers in the gym and he'd seen enough in the school to know it wasn't the sort of place you wanted to be alone at night, even as a Chimera. His car was decent to sleep in, if he ignored the way he could full fit across the back seat and that his blanket was riddled with holes and his clothes and the car were starting to smell, and the police that knocked on the window every five fucking seconds telling him he couldn't sleep there.

So as a wolf, it was just...easier, he didn't need clothes, or blankets, or showers or a too small back seat to sleep in. He could scurry into hidden caves and sleep there his fur keeping him warm. If he needed to he could wash off in the lakes and rivers that dotted the preserve and well, despite raw rabbits not being very tasty it was fairly easy to catch them. It was easy to stay out of the sites of people, apart from the few times he'd padded over to people having a picnic and stolen the cooked food they had.

Sure, it wasn't a glamorous life but at least no one could see how far he'd fallen, and if Malia could live happily for years in the preserve he knew he could survive long enough to come up with a plan on what to do next. Or barring that find himself a nice cave to call home and live out his days chasing his tail and pretending things weren't going extremely bad for him. Not that he chased his tail...Much.

He had a routine, a life. Not a good one, but had one none the less. Sure, a fair bit of it was spent soaking up the sun on a boulder he'd found that was hidden enough to be out of sight from passers by but high enough to get nice warm beams of light hitting it for most of the day. He could lie and watch the closest path from there, a few lone dog walkers and joggers passing from time to time, enough to keep him entertained.

An old Lady brought him sausages. It was probably a bad idea, having someone know where he'd be every day but after her Corgi had managed to sniff him out and she'd spotted him while coming after it. She'd been friendly enough and he was fairly sure she thought he was just a large dog judging by the way she'd kept calling him a good boy and making kissy noises to try and attract him close enough to stroke. He'd left the first time, growling lowly and stalking off into the woods but the next day she'd been back, bag of sausages in hand and when her Corgi, Betsy, had started to bark at his boulder again she'd taken a sausage and tossed it up towards him. After a week of that he'd be lured enough to sneak down to her, if only so she'd give him more sausages.

So he'd sun bathe then when he heard the old lady and her corgi coming closer would march down to meet them on the path. He'd be greeted with a happy “hello Lester, are you hungry?” And gorge himself on the sausages and other little titbits of meats she'd bring for him. He'd let her run her hand through his silky fur while he dug into them and follow her up the path until they were nearing the town. After that sometimes he'd go and watch the lacrosse practise, slinking through the bushes and watching hidden amongst the foliage. After that he'd go chase down a squirrel or rabbit for dinner and then return to his rock before returning to his cave and scurrying deep down into the depths to sleep.

It was simple, easy. He wasn't Theo, the evil chimera who everyone hated. He was Lester the wolf, friend to old lady Edith and Betsy the corgi, king of the sun rock and owner of a decent cave. He liked that when Edith saw him she would smile, that she'd call out for him if he'd gotten distracted as if she actually wanted to see him. He couldn't remember the last time someone looked happy to see Theo, but Lester, Lester was _loved._

Theo knew he'd fallen further than he ever could have imagined but he couldn't really bring himself to care, hell, he'd even found himself wishing he could shift into something other than a wolf or a coyote, something boring enough that he could follow Edith home and live out the rest of her life on her couch that no doubt smelt like dust.

He could be her guard dog. It would give him something to do for a few years until she would undoubtedly kick the bucket and it was beacon hills, he was sure there would, at some point, be need for him to actual guard her from things other than the mail man.

Theo let out a huff, burrowing his snout into the soft fur between his front paws, chin scratching against the rock as he peered over the forest glowing golden with the afternoon sun. When had he gotten so pathetic that a life as someone's pet actually sounded like a good idea.

Although, thinking about it, it _was_ what he was good at. He'd been a pet to the dread doctors most of his life, their little experiment. At least parading as someone's dog he'd get some affection.

He didn't miss much about being human, a real bed sure, but it wasn't like he'd have one if he changed back, he'd still be stuck in his truck, a homeless kid who'd never even graduated high school. Maybe if he lived with Edith when she did die he could take some of her stuff. A large diamond ring sat on her finger, he could have that, pawn it off and use it to get back some semblance of a life, it'd be his wage for keeping her safe. He snorted, a soft hiss through his nose that ruffled the fur and made it tickle.

 _You can't stay as a wolf forever_ Theo reminded himself. He _needed_ to make a plan to figure something, anything, out, so he could go back to his life as a human. Theo span, scratching his back against the boulder tongue lolling out in a way that would be truly embarrassing if anyone saw, he looked up watching clouds pass slowly. He should think about something other than what Edith might bring him as a snack tomorrow, but he just..didn't see the point, couldn't bring himself to try. This was easier, he was happier, maybe, probably, or more likely he'd just stopped caring. He was doing the minimum needed to keep himself alive and he was...okay with that. Why bother trying anything? It was clear his plans weren't exactly winning ones.

Theo's ears perked up at the sound of soft footsteps, tiny paws scurrying along with it. He sniffed, the scent of ham and dust and Edith's perfume hitting his nose. Theo turned back over, hind legs kicking in the air for a moment before he managed it. He padded down his rock, hopping over boulders until the soft pads of his feet hit the forest floor. His claws sank into the ground for a moment, toes spreading out before he continued on. Reaching the path just as Edith hobbled around the corner, Betsy tumbling after her lips pulled back in a way that made the dog look like it was smiling. Theo sat down, back straight as he watched them approach, tail slapping hard against the forest floor.

“Afternoon Lester.” Edith hummed, hand already fishing in her pocket for the zip lock of food. Theo let out a bark of greeting. Edith let out an easy laugh scooping out a hand full of ham and tossing it to him. Theo caught it easily, sharp teeth snapping through it easily. “I got you a treat.” Theo's head bobbed back up. Eyes catching Edith's her eyes crinkled even before she smiled. Theo's head tilted as she pulled out a bone. “You want it?” Betsy barked. “No it's not for you sweetheart. You have one at home don't you.” Edith cooed. Holding the bone out for Theo.

Theo eyed it curiously. He should turn it down, despite being a 'wolf' he was still human and most humans wouldn't think it was normal to accept a bone that's no doubt been bleached and painted at some point and chew on it. But then, nothing about Theo's current situation was particularly normal and judging by Betsy's heart rate a bone was something to get excited about. Theo reached for it slowly, mouth opening revealing a row of razor sharp teeth that Edith didn't seem to be bothered by. He eyed her as he clamped his teeth around it, pulling slowly so she could let go.

“Who's a good boy?” Edith asked, Theo's tail gave another embarrassing wag. “Mind if we stay a while?” She sat down as she was talking, moving slow her hands white knuckled around a tree trunk as she sunk to the floor, joints cracking as she went. Theo was sure part of the reason he wasn't going completely insane was that Edith talked to him constantly when she would see him. Nattering away about beacon hills and her friends and what illness Ian was now suffering from. It wasn't exactly interesting but it was nice, friendly, left Theo feeling like he was actually socialising even if all he could do was let out the occasional snort or whine when she spoke. Betsy flopped in her lap, heaving deep breaths as Edith started talking. Theo lay down next to them, bone nestled between his paws as he chewed on it. It wasn't too bad, the scratch it made against his teeth seemed to tickle in his ears as it rattled. Edith's hand found his back, fingers carding into the thick fur.

“You'll never guess what Gina did Lester.” She begun. Theo let his tail wag once more to show he was listening and then Edith talked, fingers working gently in his fur while he chewed on his bone, stopping from time to time to accept Edith's fingers scratching behind his ear.

Theo let out a soft sigh. Maybe staying as Lester wasn't that insane, he could pass for a husky, could live out the rest of his days as a family pet, he knew Edith had a few grandchildren and one would probably take him after she died. He wouldn't have to fight, he could just...mosey through life, watch clouds and chew on bones. Theo's eyes shifted to Edith. It's not like anyone would miss him if he did follow Edith home one day. He'd been gone months and it wasn't like anyone had even noticed he was gone.

Or maybe..Maybe he'd already gone insane. He wasn't sure but he couldn't bring himself to care. Crazy or not he was surviving, he didn't have anyone waiting for him to do something wrong. He was getting by without hurting anyone, maybe it would be better for everyone if Theo never came back.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry.


End file.
